Sighting apparatus for ordnance.



A. T. DAWSON & G. T. BUCKHAM.

SIGHTING APPARATUS FOR ORDNANGE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.5,1910. 1,040, 161. Patented Oct. 1, 1912.

8 SHEEIS'SHEET 1.

A. T. DAWSON & G. T. BUOKHAM. SIGHTING APPARATUS FOR, ORDNANCE.

APPLICATION IILEDAPR. 5, 1910.

Patented Oct. 1, 1912 3 SHEETSSHEET 2 A. T. DAWSON & G. T. BUGKHAM.

SIGHTING APPARATUS FOR OEDNANGE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 5, 1910.

Patented Oct. 1, 1912.

3 SHEETS'SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON AND GEORGE THOKAS BUCKHAM. OF WESTMINSTER, LON- DON, ENGLAND,ASSIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO VICKERS LIMITED.

STGHTING APPARATUS FOR ORDNANCE.

To all whom it may toncernf Be it known that we, ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON, knight, and GEORGE VTHOMAB BUCKHAM, both subjects of the King of Great Britain, residing at 32 Victoria street, Westminster, in the county of London, England, have invented -certainqiew and useful Improvements in Sighting Apparatus for Ordnance, of which the following is a specification. v

This invention relates to sighting apparatus of the kind already proposed by us in which a traveling range pointer is actuated through worm gearing by an electric motor controlled from a'distant station whence the information relating to the sighting is transmitted, the movements of the pointer being followed by an'gularly displacing a gradu ated range dial or drum. or an index operated by the movement of the sighting apthe range dial for enabling corrections to be made in the indications to compensate for variations in muzzle velocity, temperature of charges, e t c such an arrangement being disclosed in the specification of o r prior U. S. .Patent No. 91370? A-ec(-irding to our present invention we Still employ the motor actuated pointer, bu do notprovide for following the movement; of the pointer' by angularl'y displaci n the range dial or drum. The pointer is angularly displaced by the motor to any desired extent, and is'lirought back to the zero or starting position of the sight by a corresponding angular displacement of the range dial or drum, 'thereby' setting the sight. For this purpose we may attach the casing of the said motor to the said dial or drum so that when the dial or drum is moved by the hand actualwl g aring in setting the sight. mmenu-nt will he imparted to the pointer in a dir ction p m ite to that which it re eive fr m the |uolor in order to re.-

Speclflcatlon of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 5, 1910. Serial No. 553,554.

Patented Oct. 1,1912.

sition. Thus the act of setting the sight to accord with the indications of the motor actuated pointer. instead of causing the dial to follow the movements of the pointer as in our. previous arrangements, causes the pointer to return to the zero or starting position after each angular displacement it reccivcs from the motor.

In order that our said invention may be clearly nn'derstt'iod and readily-carried into effect we will describe the same more fully with reference to the accoi'npanying drawings. in which I i Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken approximately through the center of the range dial (in an enlarged scale, of sighting apparatusprovided with our improvements. Fig. 3 is an elevation on a still larger scale of the range receiver with the dial and coverremoved. Fig. 4 is a vertical section, and Fig. is an elevation of a modified construction in which the motor is stationary. Figs. 6. Tand- 8 are diagrammatic views showing respectively the pointer in the zero or starting position. in a position to which it has been angularly displaced by the motor and in the position to which it. is moved with the dial to bring the pointer opposite the index mark.

A is the range dial, A is the deflection dial. A is thetelescopic sight mounted on the hiniged sight bar A B. B are respec- -tive'ly the electrically controlled pointers of the range dial and the deflection dial, G, C are the respective motors and D D the 0perating hand wheels. The motor C (Figs. 2 and 3) is connected to a casing C which is attached to the rang dial A in any suitable manner- The motion of the motor C is transmitted to the pointer B by means of the worm 1;, which gears with a worm wheel c, the said gearing permitting the motor to move the pointer but preventing the pointer from being-moved relatively to the motor when the dial and the casin C are actuated by the hand gearing. {his gearing comprises a longitudinal shaft (l actuated from the hand wheel D by means of bevel wheels d, (1; th said shaft carries the orm which giga riavitl'ta worm wheel rZ. The said worni wheel is mounted on a shaft d which is provided at. its outer end tm n '-ai l pointer to its new or staiting ol with a squared portion d fitting in a correspending hole in the rear wall of the casing C", and is also provided with a spigot d? on which the aforesaid worm wheel is mounted. The shaft ii also carries the pinions 0! which gear with the sight elevating sector It will be understood that the pointer B will travel with the dial A and casing C" during the setting of the sight by hand but that the pointer B alone moves under the action of the motor C. The index mark F to which the pointer is moved when setting the sight bythe hand gearing is in the example shown fixed; it may however in some cases be made capable of adjustment to compensate for variationsin muzzle velocity, etc. The-electric cable G by means Fig. 8 shows the'position the parts assume when the aforesaid hand wheel D is operated to bring the pointer back to the index mark F. and the elevating pinions (If and motor casin C together with the range dial A have eenthereby rotated as hereinbefore explained.

Although we have described our invention more particularly with regard to the range dial, it will be obvious that it canbe appliedequally well'to the deflection dial,

the motor C the worm wheel 0. The shaft of the hand wheel D would be provided with a pinion 0 engaging with a pinion e; the latter also gearing with a pinion e suitably connected with a casing containing the motor C and itsworm geer-ing, the said casing being similar to the casing (3 except that it revolves in a fixed bracket. The rotation of the hand wheel D would cause the pointer B and the dial A to be rotated, and at the same time the necessary amount of defied t-ion would be imparted to the sight A in the usual manner.

In the modification shown in Figs. 4 and 5, themotor does not move with the dial as in the arrangements abovedescribed. In this construction which is shown by wa of example in connection with the deflection receiver the motor (3 is secured to the easing C which forms a stationary part of the sight. The worm c of the motor gears I p -b of the drum B in which case the deflection dial A and the.

deflection pointer B would be actuated in a similar manner to that above described with reference to the range dial and pointer,

actuating the pointer .B through the intervention of the worm c and with a worm wheel nwhich is mounted at one end of a shaft 0. The outer end of said shaft carries a pinion 0 which gears with a pinion c secured to a disk C carrying a number of planet pinions 0 each of which has two sets of teeth of different diameters. The pointer is in'this construction in the form of a drum B having anarrow mark I) on its'periphery, and the index mark is in the form of a gate F at tached to the aforesaid casing C. The graduated drum A is integral with a hand wheel A and is provided with a boss iwhich is mounted on the squared end 6' of the shaft Ecarrying the usual defiection worm E Mounted} on the said squared end a" is a pinion Ai", which gears with the teeth-of the larger dialneter of the aforesaid planet pinionsgc". \The periphery of the boss A" forms",a bearing for the pointer drum B to which is secured a pinion B, the said pinion engaging with the 'teeth of the smaller diameter of the aforesaid planet pinions 0.

The movements of the motor C are transmitted by means of the worm gearing c, and 0" and the pinion 0"" to the pinion which is as aforesaid secured to the disk C carrying the planet pinions 0. These planet pinions gear with the aforesaid pinions A" and B and as the former, which is mounted on-the shaft E", remains stationary during this 0peration,'the pinions o are rotated and by reason of their differ- .ent diameters movement is imparted to the pinion B and the pointer drum B. During the hand operation to bring'the arrow Owing to the squared end 6" of the shaft E, the latter will be rotated consequent-ly the pinion A willrotate and will revolve the planet pinions 0 gearingtherewith, the.

,disk C" being, held stationary by the worm gearing 0, 0. The pinions 0 which as aforesaid gear with the pinion B, will actuate the latter, and cause the drum 'B to be rotated. This operation therefore'causes the graduated drum A, and the pointer drum B to be angularly displaced, and at the same time the worm Ef" imparts the necessary deflection to the sight. Obviously ditlerential gear of the kind above described can be employed in connection with the to the index mark, the hand wheel A is actuated and with it of course the graduated drum A. the fact that the boss A" is mounted on range dial or drum and the range pointer.

The graduated dial or drum is not absolutely necessary for the purpose of our present invention but is provided sothat it may be used for setting the sight in the event of the electrical function becoming for any reason inoperative. In the case of the construction shown in Figs. 4 and 5 the graduated drum when employed is prefaccord with crably covered by suitable means during the normal operation, and is adapted to be uncovered only if the electrical function fails.

\Vhat we claim and desire to secure, by Letters Patent of the United States is:-

1. In sighting apparatus for ordnance, the combination with a sight, means for setting the sight, a pointer for indicating the extent to which the sight is to be set, and-an actuating motor for said pointer, of means whereby the setting of the sight causes the said pointer to return to its zero or starting position.

2. In sighting apparatus for ordnance, the combination with a sight, means for setting the sight, a pointer for indicating the extent to which the sight is to be set, and an actuating motor for said pointer, of a displaceable member on which the said motor is mounted, and means whereby the setting of the'sight causes the said member and the pointer to be displaced so that the latter returns to its zero or starting position.

3. In sighting apparatus for ordnance, the combination with a sight, means for setting the sight, a pointer for indicating the extent to which the sight is to be set, and an actuating motor for said pointer, of a casing on which the'sai'd motor is mounted, a dial attached to said casing, and means whereby the setting of the sight causes the casing, dial and pointer to be displaced so that the latter returns to its zero or starting position.

4. In sighting apparatus for ordnance, the combination with a sight, means for elevating the sight, a pointer for indicating the extent to which the sight is to be elevated, and an actuating motor forsaid pointer, of a casing on which the said motor is mounted, a range dial attached to said casing, and means whereby the setting of the sight to the indication of the range pointer causes the latter to return to its zero or starting position.

5. In sighting apparatus for ordnauce the combination with a sight, means for deflecting the sight, a pointer for indicating the extent to which the sight is to he deflected, and an actuating motor for said pointer, of a casing on which the said motor is mounted. a deflection dial attached to said casing, and means whereby the setting of the sight to accord with the indication of the deflection pointer causes the latter to return to its zero or starting position.

6. In sighting apparatus for ordnance, the combination with the pointer and its actuating motor, of a spindle on which the said pointer is mounted, a worm wheel attached to said spindle, a worm of said motor gearing with said wormwheel, hand operated means for setting the sight, and means whereby the actuation of said hand-operated means returns the pointer to its zero or startin position.

In sighting apparatus for ordnance, the combination with the pointer and its actuating motor, of a casing to which said motor is attached, a spindle on which said pointer is mounted, a worm wheel attached to said spindle, a Worm of said motor gearing with said worm wheel, hand operated means for setting the sight, and means for connecting the said hand operated means with the .storcsaid casing, so that during the actuation of said hand-ooerated means, the pointer is returned to its zero or starting position.

8. In sighting apparatus for ordnance, the combination with the pointer and its actuating motor, of a casing to which said motor is attached, a dial connected with said casing, a spindle on which said pointer is mounted, a worm wheel attached to said spindle, aworm of said motor gearing with said worm wheel, hand operated means for setting the sight, and means for connecting the said hand operated means with the aforesaid casing, so that during the actuation of said hand-operated means, the pointer is returned to its zero or starting position.

9. In sightilng apparatus for ordnance, the combination with the pointer and its actuating motor, of a casing to which said motor is attached. a spindle on which said pointer is mounted, a worm wheel attached to said spindle, a worm of said motor gearing with said worm wheel, a shaft connected with said casing and hand actuated means for rotating said shaft to set the sight and to return the pointer to its zero or starting position.

In testimony whereof We affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON, GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM. \Vitncsses HENRY KING, ALFRED PEAKS. 

